Game board for displaying three like elements in a row



Aj cHAREsT GAME BOARD FOR DISPLAYING THREE LIKE ELEMENTS IN A ROW v 2sheets-sheet 1/ Filed Nov. 19, 1947 ATTD RN EYE Oct. 4, 1949. 4 A,CHAREs-r 2,483,378

GAME BOARD FOR DISPLAYING THREE LIKE ELEMENTS IN A Row Filed Nov. 19,1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 x INVENTOR.

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Patented Oct. 4, 1949 GAME BOARD Fon DISPLAYING THREE LIKE ELEMENTS 1N ARow Y Alfred Charest, Woonsocket, R. I.

Application November 19, 1947, Serial No. 786,916

Claims.

This invention relates to games of the type played by two players andparticularly players of all ages, and in particular a mechanical toy orgame such as the game commonly known as tic tac toe wherein colors arenormally actuated to show through nine openings positioned in rows toform a square, and wherein the first player to place his colors in arow, longitudinally, laterally, or diagonally, is the winner of thegame.

The purpose of this invention is to provide means for combining aplurality of mechanically operating instrumentalities by which thesimple game of tic tac toe may be played with buttons Yor the like.

In playing the game of tic tac toe it is customary to draw two spacedlongitudinal lines and then two similar transverse lines and then theplayers proceed to mark the squares. By this means it is necessary touse a new sheet of paper with every game or try to crowd the lines incorners, and when the game is played for long periods of time this isobjectionable.

With this thought in mind this invention contemplates a mechanicallyoperating game board having a series of slidable bars and levers incombination with grouped openings wherein colors may be displayedthrough the openings by mechanical means.

The object of this invention is to provide a housing having groupedopenings therein and mechanically actuated devices for alternatelydisplaying colors or the like through the openings.

Another object of the invention is to provide a gaine device in whichcolors are displayed through openings in which the colors may be 5-actuated from either end of the device.

A further object of the invention is to provide a new combination ofslidable bars and levers for actuating elements in playing the game oftic tac toe which is of a simple and economical construction.

With these and other objects and advantages in view the inventionconsists of the new and novel combination, construction, and arrangementof parts as hereinafter more fully described, set forth in the claimsappended hereto, and disclosed in the accompanying drawings, formingpart hereof, wherein:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the game board.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal section through the game board taken on line2-2 of Figure 5.

Figure 3 is a similar view showing one end of the game board with thebar locking lever in the releasing position.

Figure 4 is a, cross section through the game board taken on line 4--4of Figure 5.

Figure 5 is a sectional plan through the game board taken on line 5-5 ofFigure 6.

Figure 6 is a longitudinal section through the game board similar tothat shown in Figure 2, taken on line 6-6 of Figure 5.

Figure 7 is a detail showing one of the sockets on the ends of the bars.

Figure 8 is a detail showing the intermediate section of one of thebars.

Figure 9 is a cross section through the bar shown in Figure 8.

Referring now to the drawings wherein like reference characters indicatecorresponding parts the game board of this invention includes a housinghaving an upper surface Il) with a base I I, side walls I2 and I3, andend walls I4 and I5, and in the center of the upper surface is abox-like easing I6 having openings I1 therein.

Cylinders I8 with gear sections I9 thereon and having color areas ZIJ,2I, and 22 on the surfaces thereof are rotatably mounted on shafts 23,24, and 25 below the openings I1, and the gear sections are positionedto mesh with racks 26 on intermediate sections 2'I of the paralleloperating bars each of which has end sections 28 and 29. The endsections are hinged to the intermediate sections by spline plates 3Qwhich are held in the end sections by pins 3| and 32, and in theintermediate sections by pins 33. The spline plates are positioned inslots 34 in the intermediate sections 2l' and 35 in the end sections.The intermediate sections are provided with tongues 36 the ends of whichare held in sockets 31 as shown in Figure '7, and the sockets are freelymounted on cross bars 38 and 39 and resiliently held together by elasticbands 40, ythe ends of which are held on hooks 4I on the inner ends ofthe sockets. The outer ends of the sockets are provided with anges l2that are held against the outer surfaces of the cross bars 38 and 39, asshown in Figure 6.

The outer ends of the end sections of the bars are positioned on ledges43 of locks lli which are pivotally mounted on pins 45 and the uppersurfaces of the locks are formed with shoulders 46 that hold the bars asIshown in Figure 2. The inner edges of the locks rest on levers Ill thatare pivotally mounted on pins 43 through which the levers are positionedto be engaged by buttons 49 at the lower ends of posts 50, as shown inFigure 6. rThe posts 5B are provided with collars 5I that limit theupward movement thereof and it will be noted in Figure 3 that bypressing downward on the posts the levers will be actuated to raise theinner edges of the locks so that the outer ends of the bars will beraised above the shoulders and the bars will be released so that theymay be returned to the neutral positions by the elastic bands.

The outer ends of the operating bars, which are arranged in groups ofthrees, as shown in Figure 5, are provided with pins 52 that extendthrough slots 53 in the upper surface Ill of the housing, and by .movingthe pins in the slots the cylinders are actuated through the gearsections and racks. With one player operating the pins 3 on one side andanother on the other, both have controllof all cylinders-and rst-.oneplayer may set a color so that it will show-through an opening and thenthe other player may set a color.

The first player to set three of the same colors :15A game comprising agame board having a '4 plurality of longitudinal and'transverse rows ofopenings in spaced 1relation in the upper surface thereof,cylindershaving colored areas on the surfaces thereof positioned inthegame board .b'eloWfthe openings, means rotatably mounting 'thecylinders, means actuating each of the cylinders from opposite ends ofthe game board to display differenticolors through the openings, meansvrlocking the cylinder actuating means, means re- *leasing the lockingmeans, andmeans returning Athe actuating 'means to neutral position whenre- 'leased 12. A game comprising-a game board having a 'plurality oflongitudinal and transverse rows of openings in spaced relation in theupper surface thereohcylinders having colored areas on the fv surfacesthereof positioned in the game board below the openings, shafts mountedin the housing and on which the cylinders are rotatably fmounted, saidcylinders having gear segments thereon, bars slidably mounted in thehousing ihaving'racks thereon positioned with the racks Ymeshing withthe gear-segments of the cylinders, "pins on the ends of the barsextending through -slots inthe housing-'by-which the bars areactulated'to turn thecylinders, resilient means holdfing the bars inneutral positions, locks having fshoulders positioned-to be engaged bythe ends =of 'the bars, levers pivotally mounted in the' housing andpositioned to operate the locks, and posts fextending through thehousingfor actuating the levers.

In a game, the combination, which com- -prises a game boardhaving asubstantially en- :closed box-like centrally disposed section pro--jectingabove the upper surface of the"board,'the -upper surface of thesaid box-like section `having longitudinal and transverse rows of spaced-openings therein and the upper surface of the game board having groupsof elongated slots :therein cylinders having colored areas `on Vthe 6surfaces-thereof rotatably vmounted in theboxlike section and positionedbelow the openings -therein said 'cylinders having gear lsegmentsthereon, groups of parallel bars slidably mounted .in-the game boardonoppositesides of the box .likeseetion havingpins on the outer endsthereof positioned in the elongated slots ,and gear racks thereonmeshing with the .gear segments of the cylinders, said bars havinghinged intermediate sections with tongues on the under surface thereof,sockets in which the ends of the tongues are positioned, transverse bars'on-which the sockets are mounted, said sockets having flanges posi-'tioned to engage the transversebars to provide ^stops,^resilientelements urging the bars-through the sockets to centrally disposedpositions, locks .positioned to engage the endsof the bars, leverspivotallyrmounted in the board positioned to actuate the ocks, and postsextending through the upper surface of the board for operating thelevers.

fi. vnfa' game thecombination which comprises "an Veiongated rectangularshaped substantially hollow hoardv having a centrally disposed box likesection extended above the upper surface of the fboard and said box likesection having spaced rows.. of .openings in the upper surface thereof,the upper surface of said board having groups of .elongated slotsin theopposite ends thereof,.cyl ,'indershavingcolored areas and gear segments"thereon rotatably mounted in thesaid box like section of the board andpositioned to register with. the openings in the upper surface thereof,`the gear segments of the said cylinders being positioned'in staggeredrelation, groups of paral- `lel bars having gear racks thereon slidablymounte'diin the board and positioned so that the said gear. racks meshwiththegear segments of Ythe -cylinders, and lslidable elementsresiliently urged toward the center. of the board positioned Atobelengaged by said bars for returning the bars to Acentrally disposedpositions, said bars having actuating pins thereonextended through theslots vinthe upper surfacejof theboard whereby the bars are manuallyactuated to turn the cylinders to display, different colors'through theopenings Vof thesaid box like section of the board,

. the gear` segments of the -said cylinders being positionedinstaggered'relation, `groups of parallel -bars havinggear racks thereonslidably mounted inthe board and positioned so that the said gear racksmesh with the gear segments of the cylinders, transverselydisposed'locking elements with lshoulders thereon pivotally mounted inthe board withl thesaid shoulders positioned'to be engaged fbyendsof theparallel barsto-lock the bars in rplayingl position, i levers pivotallymounted in lthe board and positioned to engage the locking bars, sandbuttons positioned in the board and extended througlithe uppersurfacethereof vfor actuating .the levers'toiactuate the locking elements tore- I lease f the -parallel bars.

' ALFRED CHALREST.

REFERENCES 'CITED Thet following references are vof record in theL.f'li'e-ofthis patent:

4UNITED eSTATES :PATENTS Number `Name Date 687,487 Powell `Nov. r26,A1901 1,546,181 Petrov July 14, 1925 2,114,417 Ellinson Apr. 19, 1938vFOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date L"8,287 `Great-Britain 191'1

